North And South Pole Treks For Bipolar Disorder
You've heard of relay races to raise money for cancer. You've no doubt heard of 5 mile walks to raise money for other causes as well - heart disease, kidney disease and the like. Now, there a trek dedicated to raising money for bipolar disorder.
And when we say "trek" we mean it. Approximately two dozen individuals with bipolar disorder and psychiatrists plan to spend three weeks traveling to both the north and south poles to raise more than one million dollars for brain research for bipolar disorder. The event is being organized by a group of psychiatrists and doctors in Australia.
The Bipolar Expedition, as it's called will begin at latitude of 89 degrees. For those with bipolar disorder and not able to physically hike the terrain can take a cruise from Ushuaia in Argentina to the Antarctic Peninsula.
The organizer of this expedition to fund research for bipolar disorder is Dr. Tim Silk. He explained that had the idea for a while before acting upon it. ". . . I met a group of enthusiastic people," he said, who helped him take his dream to a reality.
"Mainly, we wanted to show people that bipolar [disorder] can be well managed," Silk said. He said it's also his goal to show that once bipolar disorder is diagnosed, "people [with bipolar disorder] can not only live ordinary lives but can achieve great things."
Bipolar disorder is caused by a chemical imbalance in the brain. It's characterized by fluctuations in mood from mania to depression. For many individuals, it may take up to a decade for them to receive an accurate diagnosis.
Dr. Phil Mitchell, chair of the school of psychiatry at the University of New South Wales, in Australia, explains that the diagnosis of bipolar disorder is increasing due to a greater awareness on the part of the medical community. Not only that, he says, but doctors were making earlier diagnoses as well.
Dr. Mitchell also noted that "[Bipolar disorder is] a reasonably common illness with one in 200 people having an episode of mania or depression in any one year. "Unless doctors ask about previous episodes of mania when people present [symptoms of] . . . depression," he continued, "it can easily be missed."
Expeditions similar to the bipolar disorder treks like the bipolar disorder one planned for late 2008 usually cost $50,000 for more. However, Dr. Silk is offering spots for about $15,000 with the hope that the rest of the costs will be generated through fund raising. Silk explains: "We want to raise awareness of . . . [bipolar] disorder so the more people can get out there and raise funds publicly, the better it will be."
